Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the production of a potato dough which is then formed into pieces which are first partly dried in hot air and then oil coated and dried to completion in hot air or oil. The dried product is reconstitutable in hot water without cooking to form rice-like textured rice and potato dishes.
Description of the Prior Art
The prior art discloses many processes and products which utilize a potato dough which is formed, treated and dried or fried to produce finished products as Hashbrowns, french fries, potato chips, snacks, mashed potatoes and the like.
Much of the prior art discloses potato dough suitable for expanded snacks and chips and which either use starting materials without appreciable intact potato cells or which during the process, subject the dough to conditions which give the desired cell rupture which is required to get expansion. Examples are Gerkins U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,537, Loska U.S. Pat. No. 3,297,450, Fast U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,822, Rock U.S. Pat. No. 3,681,084, Hilton U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,109,739 and 3,230,094, Tan U.S. Pat. No. 3,259,503, Wilder U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,305, Potter U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,495 and Spiesser U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,770. Such a dough is not acceptable in applicant's process. To attain the texturized instantized piece, the dough solids must contain at least 80% intact cells and preferably 85 to 95% intact cells.
Frank U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,702 and Beck U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,105 both use largely intact cells in combination with raw starch. Frank's dough has a moisture content of about 75% by weight, the solids of which comprise 77% intact cooked potato cells and 23% raw ungelatinized starch cells. The dough is riced and dried and is used as a component to reconstitute in boiling water to form a sticky mashed potato which binds and coats natural julienne strips to form a cake or patty which Frank calls hashbrowns. Gelatinization occurs during boiling water rehydration and this component loses piece identity when reconstituted. The solids of Becks's dough are at least 80% intact potato cells and 6-20% raw starch which is completely gelatinized before drying. Beck's dough contains no other binders; contains no oil; and is dried to completion in hot air. Although the reconstituted product has piece identity, it is not instant and has the texture of a blanched strip of natural potato.
Rendle, Great Britain Pat. No. 608,996, Keller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,673 and Willard, U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,062 disclose potato doughs of about 67% moisture content comprising essentially cooked intact potato cells with pregelatinized cooked starch or gums. No raw starch is utilized and the doughs are formed and fried directly into french fries with no preliminary air drying or finish drying to 7% moisture in oil.
Liepa, U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,036 discloses a potato dough of about 53-73% moisture comprising intact cooked potato and milk which is formed and directly fried to produce crisp brown products. No raw starch or gums are utilized. There is no predrying-in-air processing step.
Sijbring, U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,679 discloses a dough of about 67% moisture comprising intact cooked cells and gums. The dough is formed, predried at 180.degree. C. (356.degree. F.) in hot fat to about 19.2% moisture and finish fried in vacuum at 90.degree. C. (194.degree. F.) to form golden brown french fries. No raw starch ingredient is used and no predrying step in air is utilized.
In the prior art, only Frank and Beck disclose a dough similar to applicant's dough and which is dehydrated and then reconstituted in hot water. Neither utilizes a binder other than starch, and neither discloses a final dry step in the presence of oil which texturizes the surfaces. Frank's dough ingredient reconstitutes to a sticky mash and Beck's product resembles a natural potato strip and does not have the unique rice-like texture and is not reconstitutable by standing covered with boiling water in 3-4 minutes.